lgbtwikiaorg-20200222-history
Twink
Twink or twinkie is a gay slang term describing an attractive young or young-looking gay man (usually in his late teens or early twenties) with a slender build and little or no body hair. In some societies, the term chick or chicken is preferred. Twinkle-toes is a related term also used, usually in a derogatory manner, to imply a man is effeminate. The terms can be complimentary or an insult. Origin The namesake of twinks is the "golden-colored phallic-shaped snack cake" Hostess Twinkie, commonly regarded as the quintessential junk food: "little nutritional value, sweet to the taste and creme-filled." The Twinkie was invented in 1930 and originally contained a banana cream filling, but this was replaced with a vanilla cream filling during a banana shortage, caused by World War II.http://www.twinkiedeconstructed.com[http://www.hostesscakes.com/twinkies.asp Hostess Cakes: About Us] official website By the 1950s "Twinkies had become a school lunchbox staple". The original flavor was re-introduced as an alternative flavor in 2007. A twink is "memorable for his outer packaging," not his "inner depth." The golden-color also referred to those who are tanned from too much time in the sun. The junk food reference has a number of connotations including a perceived lack of intelligence and being ideal only for a short-term but not having lasting qualities or being very healthy. Most of these concerns no longer apply as the definition of twink has broadened and qualifiers, such as muscle or femme narrow the meaning to a more specific type of twink. Although the term originated from the American snack food, both the cake and twink have found international use with Hostess selling "more than half a billion Twinkies" yearly. Usage Originally, twink referred exclusively to young, white and blond men, but among LGBT people the term has become broadened to include other young men whose physical features match those principally described, but are not blond or even Caucasian. The term has been used by bears in a derogatory and pejorative manner. In some cases it is a neutral descriptive term and can be contrasted with the bears. Closely related (in the United States) is boi, although this generally represents a more feminine look or a generational way of defining oneself. The term is often modified by various descriptors, e.g., femme twink, Euro twink and muscle twink. The term is often used in the gay porn industry. There is a backronym that states that twink stands for "'t'eenaged, 'w'hite, 'i'nto 'n'o 'k'ink," although none of those things are either necessary or sufficient for being a twink. There is no female equivalent of the term. Twink code Similar to other "codes", like the bear code, the twink code is a set of symbols using letters, numbers and other characters commonly found on modern, Western computer keyboards, and used for the describing and rating of twinks. These codes are used in e-mail, Usenet, and Internet forum postings to identify the physical type and preferences of the poster but have mostly fallen out of usage. The code includes physical traits such as "c" for color of hair (from blond to black), "l" for length of hair (from bald/clean-shaven to very long), "h" for degree of hairlessness, "y" for youthful appearance, "e" for endowment, etc. It also includes personality traits such as "q" for "queeniness" and sexual preferences such as "k" for "the kinky factor". See also * Age disparity in sexual relationships * Bear community * Freshmen * Sexual orientation Notes References * Hart, Jack. 1998. Gay Sex: A Manual for Men Who Love Men. Alyson Books. ISBN 1-55583-468-X. * Rodgers, Bruce. 1972. The Queen's Vernacular: A Gay Lexicon. Straight Arrow Books. ISBN 0-87932-026-5. * Stewart, William. 1995 Cassell's Queer Companion : A Dictionary of Lesbian and Gay Life and Culture; Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34301-3. External links * The Twink Code Version 1.12 Category:Slang Category:Pejorative terms for people